Cast Out
by ImaginationFlow
Summary: Sent to her father to learn some discipline, Ann discovers the delights of the countryside. Not realising at first, she soon realises her love for the little town she used to know. But she's not as welcomed as she would have liked to be.
1. Chapter 1

Cast Out

Chapter 1

A girl sat slouched in the chair placed in the far corner of the bland and most plain classroom. Describing the girl, she was young, no less then fourteen. She had long, red locks that were tied loosely in a plait. Nearing the end on the plait that fell down beyond her mid back, secured tightly was a white silk bow. The girl's hair had a couple of flyaway strands, which was scattered all over her head. Her skin was fair, almost perfectly smooth, apart from the bold freckles that were here and there. Her nose was pointed, but had a smooth tip. Her eyes were more than beautiful, with a fleck of deep blue, flooded in a pool of exquisite cerulean colours. Currently her mouth was in a scowl, directed to the front of the class, which no doubt, the teacher stood. Because the same stubborn scowl would emerge every day, and wouldn't go till it was time to go home.

In the classroom, beside the redhead, sat a blonde girl, smiling brightly. She looked a similar age to the other girl, however the personality seemed miles away. She had locks to her chest, with delicate highlights that looked as if she'd been in the sun, maybe for too long. Her face was pale, lighter then the other, and her eyes were something of beauty. Only consisting of one colour, it most certainly didn't mean they were not beautiful. The colour was a light, murky blue that complimented her hair and face wonderfully. And at the moment, she sat straight; her hands held together and sat on the study table in front.

The teacher seemed like the typical teacher, a black skirt that was an inch beneath her knees, and a dark grey blazer with a dark shirt underneath. Her hair was librarian style, scraped back in an uncomplimentary bun, without a hair out of place. The teacher's skin was fair, and her eyes looked unnervingly cold. She currently was strolling down the path down the rows of high school children, sparing the time to glare at a few nervous students.

Whilst the teacher was strolling closer, the redhead girl popped some pink coloured gum into her grim mouth, not taking her eyes of the teacher. When she caught the furious teacher's glare, she grinned for the first time of the day, and continued chewing on her gum. The blonde beside her cast a look of dismay and she looked back and forwards between the teacher and her friend. Giving her blonde friend a grin of encouragement, the redhead didn't save her friend two seconds, before turning her attention back to the fuming teacher. As the teacher approached, the redhead seemed to chew more and more noticeably. By now, the whole class's attention was focused on the two, who looked as if they were playing a staring contest. The teacher stopped in front of the girl's desk, casting a shadow over her work, which had not a word written for notes. Glaring at each other for a few moments, the teacher was the one to break the silence.

"What do you think you're doing?" The teacher's voice boomed.

"What do _you_ think I'm doing?"

"Don't be cheeky with me missy, you'll regret it," The teacher growled.

"_Me_? Cheeky? Now why do you think that?" The girl replied innocently.

"Be quiet and put that gum in the bin!"

"But it's really good to chew on…"

"I mean it Ann! Put it in the bin or you'll get a week's detention!" The teacher hissed.

Ann sat stubbornly, her legs resting comfortably on the wooden desk, and her arms lazily stretched out. Every single body language she oozed suggested she definitely wasn't the one who'd give in. Her eyes were firmly stuck to the teachers, and you could see the determination in the girl's eyes.

"That's it! Detention, after school, every day!" The teacher barked.

Ann shrugged, turning towards the blonde, grinning.

"Hey Claire, have you done the history homework? Can I copy you?" Ann asked, probably just to irk the teacher more, she just blocked out the teacher completely, even ignoring the consistent huffs from her anger.

"Right, Claire, you can join this trouble-making friend of yours, 3:40, be there or else," The teacher snarled, narrowing her cold eyes, "It's a shame, you were such a good student."

Turning on her high heels, her hair flicked around, and you could hear the tapping of the heels as the teacher glided down the path of students.

"Sorry Ms. Michelle," Claire frowned, sparing a moment to scowl at her friend Ann.

Noticing the dark glare of her best friend, Ann quickly wiped off the smirk that was once smug on her face. Glancing down in discomfort, Ann shuffled the blank papers in an effort to calm herself. It was evident that she would have to make a quick escape after school. After all, her last class was unfortunately right beside her best friend's. Hearing the familiar and yet so sweet bell ring throughout the whole school, Ann was one of first children out of the class, having had stuffed all her books that would now be torn and creased into her brightly coloured bag. Sadly, she was only _one _of the first because the first happened to be the less-than-happy Claire. Who now stood, arms crossed, outside the classroom door.

As Ann made a hasty exit, turning her head towards the corner, the desk which once held a fuming, cross Claire was now an empty, rather dull seat. Before Ann had time to put the pieces of the puzzle together, she strided right into a furious blonde, who did not hesitate to shove her away. Feeling very confused as to the violent contact, Ann shifted her attention in front of her, almost jumping in fright at how close her bright red friend Claire was.

"I-I'm sorry!" Ann gasped, whimpering back, "Can you please like, forgive me this time and not involve violence like last time?"

"But why would I want to do that?" Claire grinned, pumping her fist in her other palm, in a gesture that was known well by Ann by now.

"Because violence is against the rules?" Ann asked hopefully.

Claire hesitated, scanning Ann's face, "And since when did _you _care about the rules?"

"I uhm," Ann started, biting her lip, "Since it protected me?"

"Oh well, doesn't hurt to break the rules here and there, does it?"

Realising what was coming, Ann was quick to sprint off, the smooth floor causing her to skid every so often. Taking a glance back every few seconds, Ann soon found herself at the school entrance. It was obvious that taking the day off would be the better choice in Ann's opinion, but where could she go? She definitely couldn't go back home because one, her mother would unquestionably send her back to school, and two, because the school would probably ring her to inform her of her disappearance, and she really didn't want to feel her mother's wrath at the moment. Sighing, Ann could hear the squeaky sound of running footsteps, and was quick to spin her head round. She could see the blonde hair swishing side-to-side and knew instantly of whom it belongs to. Taking no time to rest, Ann swerved out of the school gates and down the street. Stopping momentarily, she could see the scowl that was situated on the pale girl, glaring at her from the school gates. Sighing in relief from escaping Claire's wrath at least, Ann settled into going to the local café, hoping that there would be no one she knew there. Or at least anyone with her mother's mobile, that is.

An old-fashioned bell rung as Ann pushed the door open, stomping the dirt of her brand-new shoes on the welcome mat. Scanning the room, there seemed as if all today's customers were strangers, which helped Ann to relax as she headed to the bar. Taking a seat on her favourite spot, the waiter came over to ask for her order.

"What would you like, miss?" The waiter asked.

The waiter looked quite old, no more then sixty-five. He had grey, thin hair, and he had a short beard that circled his mouth. His eyes were grey, with specks of green, but somehow, Ann could see a sort of warmness within them. His back was slightly arched forward and his eyebrows were quite bushy. He had an apron with the café's logo imprinted on the front, and he wore an ivy shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Waiting, the waiter stood there with his pen and paper ready to scribble down the order.

"I'll have a mocha with extra cream please!" Ann grinned, as the waiter's pen moved swiftly across the paper.

"Coming right up," The waiter nodded, saving Ann a little smile, before heading off towards the kitchen.

Tapping her fingers on the bar top to the rhythm of the song currently playing, Ann momentarily glanced up at a nearby seat, only to quickly look down and hastily stop tapping. The man she had saw was no other then the man that lived next door. He had recently moved in, about two to three months ago. He got on well with Ann's mother, and was an okay sort of man, but that didn't really save Ann any trouble. Ann felt a light tap on her right shoulder, and almost knowing who it was, Ann reluctantly turned.

The man who stood in front of her had dark brown hair that was cropped with gel, to create the sophisticated look. His eyes were a dark brown, which felt comfortable and relaxing to look at, and he had a sharp pointed nose. He had an ordinary suit on, and his shoes were black and perfectly polished as if he'd done it this morning.

"Uhm… Hi Mr Hyde."

"Ah yes, I knew it was you Ann. Do you know you have the most bold, colourful hair?" The man said cheerfully.

"Y-yeah, I've been told that a lot…"

"Anyway, I didn't think you got off school so early, it's only just gone half one," Mr Hyde said.

"No, not normally… but it's a uhm… half day today."

"Hm… well isn't it a bit irresponsible for your mother to leave you here on your own? Is your mother around?"

"N-no actually. She's at home…" Ann muttered.

"Well I better ring her to tell her to pick you up," He said, wiping a flashy phone from his top pocket, and you could hear the beeps as he dialled the number.

"No, there's no need to-"

"Hi, it's William. Yeah, I'm good thanks, uh… are you aware that Ann's in the café?" Mr Hyde said to the phone, nodding as if Ann's mother could see.

"Oh crap." Ann muttered darkly, whacking her forehead.

"Ah, you weren't? Would you like me to take her home? No, it's no problem, I'll see you in a bit, bye." He abruptly hung up the phone, turning his full attention to Ann, "Well, it's time you went home."

"No… I don't want to cause any trouble… I'll walk, it's fine," Ann said, shaking her head.

"I'm going home anyway, and I'd do what your mother says Ann," Mr Hyde frowned, "She seems pretty mad, I don't know what you've done but…"

"Oh fine," sighed Ann, clambering into his shiny convertible, "I might as well get this over with."

"I won't bother asking," Mr Hyde said, knowing Ann too well already.

A while later, William Hyde swerved into Ann's driveway, where Ann's mother was, with her arms firmly on her hips, waiting.

Ann's mother had brunette locks that went past her chest, with copper and blonde highlights scattered around. Apart from very few strands, very little hair was out of place. Her tresses were slicked over her shoulders, and had little curls where the ends of the hair were. Her eyes had a familiar shade of cerulean, which combined with the floods of colour also floating around. Her nose shared a similar shape to Ann's, and her face was tanned slightly.

"Infact," Mr Hyde began, "She looks a bit more then mad."

"No, really?" Ann muttered, flinging the car door open.

Ann strode up to her mother, leaving the neighbour's car door open, whether it was intentional or by forgetfulness, this made Mr Hyde come out to shut the door, which as you can imagine, didn't make Mr Hyde exactly pleased. As the man strolled back into his cosy home, Ann had reached her mother. From the piercing glare, Ann could tell her mum was more then angry. She was absolutely furious. Sidestepping to her mother's left, Ann carried on striding to the house's door, but her mother was soon to grab her wrist.

"And where do you think _you're _going?" Ann's mother barked, pulling her back.

"Inside?" Ann answered innocently.

"I think it's time we talked about your _behaviour_."

"Uh… what about it?" Ann asked, biting her lip.

"Go in now, we'll discuss this problem of yours," her mother ordered.

Ann nodded meekly, as her mother released her tight grip on the young fourteen year old. Grudgingly, Ann started walking into the house, watched closely by her following mother.


	2. Chapter 2

Cast Out Chapter 2

Ann was rushed into the main living room, shortly pushed onto the leather sofa. Her mother glided over to the opposite chair, dragging it beside Ann and plopping down. Glaring at her daughter momentarily, she folded her arms, mirroring Ann's current posture.

"Ann, answer this honestly. Do you _actually _like it here?" She asked, out of the blue.

Ann hesitated, thinking it over. She eventually started to nod, "Yeah… it's fine."

"Are you sure?" She asked again, "You used to be such an angel before me and your father split up."

Ann frowned at the topic. She really disliked talking about her father, she didn't remember too much about him, though she probably should. After all, it was only four years ago since she last saw him. She remembered his short ginger hair, and his bushy moustache. She wondered if he had got rid of that monstrosity yet. He had a thing for old-fashioned clothing, something she never understood. Ann didn't have a thing for _hip _clothing, but she most certainly didn't like old-fashioned stuff. Sighing from her little memory, Ann looked back at her mother.

"Mum, I grew up. Of course I changed."

Ann's mother frowned, "But you can't have changed that much."

"Have you not noticed," Ann began, "That maybe the city's a tougher place. Maybe I _need _to be like this to _survive_."

"Now that's being a little dramatic, isn't it?"

"No, not really," Ann said, shaking her head.

She began to make herself comfortable, by unfolding her arms, and lifting her feet onto the table. Yanking out her silky bow from her tangled hair, Ann flung it across the room in disgust. Her hair fell in clumps down her shoulder, and she laid her head back into the comfort of the sofa. She could have almost falling asleep, if she didn't notice the hard glare from her mother.

The phone's annoying ringing rang throughout the house, and Ann's mother was quick to scurry off to answer it. Sighing quietly, Ann flung her whole self onto the sofa, deciding to take whatever little nap she could. Figuring her mother wouldn't interrupt her beauty sleep; Ann began to close her eyes. Distantly, she could hear her mother's rush voice on the phone, and it made her wonder exactly why she was speaking so fast. Ignoring her thoughts, Ann quickly fell back into a thoughtless trance. She heard her mother slam down the phone, and storm into the living room, which is exactly the moment Ann opened her eyes.

"Ann!" Her mother barked, heaving her daughter up, "Do you realise how much trouble you're in?"

"Why would I be in _that_ much trouble?" Ann questioned, frowning, "All I did was take a half day."

"And miss your detention after school," Her mother added hastily, "All in one day."

"Oh crap… I forgot about that."

"To hell you did!"

"No really…" Ann sighed.

"You know what Ann?" Her mother snapped, "I'm _fed up _with you. Fed up."

Ann frowned. This was the first time her mother had ever said she was fed up with her. She'd normally say something along the lines of, "Please Ann, you need an education", "I'll give you one more chance." But never this before… This really made Ann worry, did her mother really mean it? Or was it just a one off?

"Ann, go to your room, now," Her mother ordered, "I need to think."

Ann, unable to do anything but agree, strolled up the stairs, to her room. She shut her bedroom door quietly, and plopped herself onto her bed.

Her room was similar to a box, having violet walls from when she was young. She had a plush bed to the right of the door, which had dark blue covers. Directly opposite the door was a computer desk, without a computer. Above it was a small window, which was the only light income, with its sunrays shining through. To the left was a pile of books, mostly fiction. The most common genre was romance, Ann's favourite genre of book. Also to the left was a worn cabinet that looked beyond twenty years old.

Ann laid back against the wall, closing her eyes in deep thought.

Her mother needed to think, but Ann wanted to know why. What was there to think about? She'd have to go to school the next day, live through another day of school, and then have a delightful detention with a furious Claire. Her mother didn't need to think of a punishment, school was good enough. Sighing, Ann could hear her mother once again on the phone downstairs, but her voice was quiet, unusual for her mother. Ann stuck her head against the cold wall in an attempt to hear some of the conversation, but it seemed it didn't improve. When Ann was just about to give up, her stomach growled extremely loud, only causing Ann to sigh even more. There was no way her mother would feed her whilst she was mad. Which only meant one thing; she'd have to go make it herself.

Jumping to her feet, Ann waddled silently down the wooden stairs, the hushed voice of her mother grew louder, but yet it was still impossible to comprehend. The quiet voice stopped, and Ann instantly halted, standing there perfectly still.

"Ann! Go back to your room now!" She heard her mother bark.

"I'm just getting something to eat!"

Continuing on, Ann reached the kitchen in an instant, and headed to the fridge. Yanking the door open, she studied the intents.

"Damn it, only butter?" Ann moaned, reaching inside, "Guess it'll have to be a butter sandwich."

It only took Ann a few moments to make the sandwich, afterwards dumping her dirty plate into the sink. Walking back through the door she came in, she sauntered to her bedroom, taking her only sweet time. To symbolize just how long, she had already finished her sandwich by the time she got upstairs.

"Ann!" Her mother called, "Come downstairs!"

"But I just got _upstairs_," Ann groaned, treading down the staircase.

She pushed the living room door open. Her mother was sat where she previously had lied, so Ann took the seat her mother sat in earlier. Her mother looked less then pleased, but there was a certain emotion Ann had never seen before, which instantly made her worry. It wasn't a sign of _anger, _but more of pain, or suffering.

"Before I tell you, I just want to say beforehand, it's for your benefit. Not mine, so please, just don't argue."

Ann stared at her with her arms crossed, expecting soon a punishment, may it be her mother grounding her, or to make her clean the bathroom toilets.

"I'm not exactly sure what happened to you the day we left Mineral Town," Her mother frowned, "Something changed."

"The environment?" Ann suggested innocently.

"No, not that. Something a lot deeper. Maybe you miss the town, I don't know."

"_Miss that town?" _Ann laughed, "Why the hell would I miss _that _town? It was the best day of my life when we leftit."

"That's not what you used to say…" Her mother said, "You used to say how you'd love to see your father again, and the town… I can definitely see you've changed."

"Mum, what do you expect? Seriously," Ann growled, "You can't expect me to be the same little angel you saw when I was little."

"Which is why I've came to a decision," Her mother sighed, staring into her daughter's eyes, "You're going to go to your father."

"What?!" Ann snapped, "There is no way in _hell _I'm going back there!"

"I've made my mind up Ann, you're going. And you're going _tomorrow._"

"You know what? I don't care. As long as I'm away from _you_," Ann bellowed.

Her mother frowned, obviously hurt by Ann's words, "It's what's best for you Ann, your father is a lot better then me, he can sort you out, he can sew up the patches which I can't."

"My life is fine here Mum!" Ann shot, going red, "I have a good life and I want to _keep _it!"

"You can have a good life there as well, now start packing unless you want to wear your fathers clothes."


End file.
